How to Change The Belt on a Shark Vacuum Cleaner

Shark Vacuum Cleaners are one of the best and most reliable vacuum cleaners that you can buy. However, parts can wear or even break over time.

Many of the models of Shark vacuums in the Shark Rocket, Shark Navigator, and Shark Rotator ranges have a motorized rotating cleaning head that is driven by a belt. While all shark vacuums are made to last, some earlier models in the range did not have an automatic cut off switch built into the cleaning head.

If something gets trapped in the roller brush, the belt can break. In all new Shark vacuums, if something gets entangled in the roller brush, the motor will cut out before the belt breaks.

Fortunately, changing a belt on a Shark vacuum is not difficult to do. All you need is a few basic tools that everyone has at home, a new belt, and a little bit of help.

It’s also a good idea to have a pair of pliers to hand in case there are any really difficult to remove things caught in the roller brush.

1) Prepare the Vacuum Cleaner

Firstly, make sure that you switch off and unplug the vacuum from the mains electricity supply. This is something that you should do before you undertake any maintenance on any electrical equipment.

Lock the vacuum in an upright position, if that is applicable to your model of Shark vacuum cleaner. Remove, empty and clean the dust cup. Lay the vacuum down horizontally on the floor so that you have access to the brush roller unit.

2) Remove the Roller Cover

Using the appropriate screwdriver, flathead or Phillips, which will depend on the model of vacuum you have, undo the screws that are holding the roller cover in place.

The exact positioning of the screws does vary slightly with different models, but they are relatively easy to locate. If, when you try to lift the cover of the roller up, it doesn’t lift easily; don’t force it, because it probably means that you have missed one of the retaining screws.

You should also be aware that some models of Shark vacuums have an electric connection between the cover and the main body of the roller unit. If yours does have one of these connections, unplug the connector carefully, taking care not to pull the wires out of the plastic connectors you do it.

3) Remove the Roller

Once you have removed the cover, you will be able to see the roller assembly and the belt that drives it. If the belt has become worn, lost some teeth, or it has broken completely, you will need to remove the roller itself to be able to replace the belt.

Clasp the end of the roller that is farthest from the belt between your fingers and lift it out of its holder. It should lift out very easily. You will then be able to lift out the other side of the roller that is attached to the belt and slip the belt on it.

The other end of the belt, if it has not broken completely, will be attached to the motor shaft. That too can now be slipped off the end of the shaft.

4) Clean the brush and inside the roller head

With the roller brush now having been removed from the motorized head, it’s an ideal time to give it a good clean. The best tool for this task is an old hair brush, as we mentioned earlier.

If there are any hairs or bits of string or twine entangled in the bristles of the brush, you can use a pair of scissors to cut these out, but be careful that you don’t cut the bristles of the brush as well. If anything is really stuck fast in the brush, you may need a pair of pliers to pull it free.

You can also remove any debris that has found its way inside the roller cover at this point.

5) Replace the Belt

To replace the belt, slide the new belt around the drive shaft of the vacuum cleaner and onto the seat. Then, replace the belt end of the roller, sliding the belt around the roller inside the plastic guides that are there to stop the belt slipping.

Clip the far side of the roller back into the slots provided for it and adjust the belt as necessary to make sure that it is sitting squarely on the roller and the drive shaft and then check that the belt is tensioned properly.

6) Reassemble the roller unit

Now, all you need to do is to replace the brush roller cover and tighten it down with the screws that you removed earlier. When you tighten the screws, they should be firmly screwed on, but don’t overtighten the screws or you could crack the plastic casing. You can then reconnect the shark vacuum to the power supply and check that everything is working properly.

We have based this guide on the manufacturer’s own guidelines, so you should have no problem with your Shark vacuum if you follow the steps we have outlined here. As we mentioned earlier, the layout of some of the models does vary, but the basic instructions will apply to them all. Y

ou should also be aware that, on some models of Shark vacuum cleaners there are retaining screws that hold down the cover hidden under the wheels on the front of the roller unit. Other that, replacing the belt on a Shark Vacuum cleaner should be relatively easy.

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